President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that the Maldives greatly values the strong bilateral relations that exist with Australia. He made the remarks at the meeting held following the ceremony held for the new High Commissioner of Australia to the Maldives Paul Wesley Stephens to present his credentials.
At the meeting held at the President's Office, President Solih and High Commissioner Stephens shed light on the commitment to open an Australian High Commission in the Maldives and described it as a tangible demonstration of how bilateral relations between the two countries have grown over the years.
Additionally, President Solih and High Commissioner Stephens discussed various topics of mutual interest, including higher education, tourism, multilateral cooperation, maritime security, combating transnational crime, and collaboration on the oceans, environment, and climate change. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries in areas of shared interest.
The Maldives and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1974.
Furthermore, High Commissioner Stephens had a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.
During the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Shahid congratulated High Commissioner Stephens on his appointment and discussed the longstanding relations between the two countries in a wide range of areas. Both Minister and High Commissioner further expressed hope that the close cooperation, especially in the fields of education, security, environment, and climate change, would expand with the opening of a new resident High Commission of Australia in Maldives. Minister Shahid and High Commissioner Stephens also reassured commitment to enhancing cooperation on multilateral issues of mutual importance.